One quarter of the season complete, Team Principal Mike Krack has a first-quarter report, thoughts on last time out in Miami, AMR24 updates, Imola and the start of the European season.
The contrast could not be more stark. After the heat and hoopla of Miami, F1 goes old-school this weekend, at the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari. The narrow, bumpy ribbon of track threaded between the terracotta-roofed villas of Imola is a traditional circuit in every sense. Huge crowds, difficult overtaking and gravel traps awaiting the unwary. It's a great place to go racing and Team Principal Mike Krack has got plenty to say about this and more.
This is Mike on…
Last time out in Miami
"Coming home with two points from Miami was disappointing and not what we expected. On the other hand, the message we've been discussing back at the AMR Technology Campus has been positive. If we look at Sprint Qualifying, seventh and eighth is pretty good with the car we have, both drivers into Q3, then the cars don't make it through Turn One and there's really nothing we can do.
"Going into main Qualifying, Lance misses out on Q3 by two-hundredths of a second. Every week the margins are in this range: sometimes you gain; sometimes you lose. Miami was our turn to be on the wrong end of the margin – and on a circuit where it's very difficult to pass, that was it. F1 is tough like that."
The first quarter
"The first six races have been tough on everyone. It's tough on the people back at Silverstone in Mission Control who have to come to work in the middle of the night; it's tough on the team that travels, and you can sense how tired everyone is.
"Racing in Australia is fantastic; racing in Japan and China is fantastic; the travel to those places and the time difference is not fantastic despite our travel team doing an excellent job in making it as seamless and comfortable as possible. It's good to be back racing in Europe now in a comfortable time zone. If you've read my 'Mike on…' columns before and know my views on the perils of jet lag, you won't be surprised to hear I'm really looking forward to the next few months!
"I'm proud of how well the team has done so far. We haven't lost a minute of track time to an operational glitch or had a bad pitstop. Yes, everyone is tired, but we're all getting through it and operating at a very high level, and that makes me happy.
"On the performance side, we expected to have the fifth-fastest car and we are fifth in the Constructors' Championship. And we are third-fastest in Qualifying trim – so it's not a disaster – but you're only as good as your last race, and we finished ninth in Miami so that clouds the picture a little bit. We're eager to come away with a more positive result in Imola."
Updates
"Everyone will be bringing updates to their cars now, and we'll have some here in Imola. It'll be interesting to see if the pecking order changes. We're doing all of the usual things: trying to dial out weaknesses, improve aerodynamic performance. Theoretically, what we have is a decent step but we'll have to see how it behaves on track and how well it correlates with the numbers we see at the factory.
"It is, of course, all relative. Will we have done enough to make a step forward, or did we merely keep pace with everybody else? There are a lot of unknowns. Honestly, instead of shouting about things like this, I'd rather underpromise, not raise expectations too much, and see what happens."
Tifosi
"Coming to Imola feels new again, after missing last year's race because of the floods. It's always great to be racing in front of Italian fans, and I really hope the rain stays away and we can put on a good show to reward all of that passion.
"We're on Ferrari's home turf this weekend, so there's going to be lots of red – but hopefully some green too. That seems fair – it's already one-third of the flag! On another note, it'll be interesting to see what they make of Lewis Hamilton, racing in Italy for the first time since signing for Ferrari. I think it'll be a big party."
Imola
"This is a very special circuit, and I think it's going to be an exciting weekend. Pirelli has gone one step softer with the tyres for this year, which should make it interesting. It's a circuit that conjures forth a lot of memories. The fans, as I mentioned, but also the tragic events of 1994 and also some thrilling battles.
"The weekend when Ayrton Senna and Roland Ratzenberger died, I remember watching on TV at university and the shock was profound. That weekend is being commemorated on its 30th anniversary. Sebastian Vettel is here driving one of Senna's McLarens and all of the teams will be carrying tributes on their car. It is important we remember.
"On the more joyous side of things, Fernando's battle with Michael Schumacher in 2005 and '06 are among the best F1 has ever seen. I was working in F1 at the time. Of course, you concentrate on your own cars during the race but afterwards, when you look at the battle they had at the front, you are blown away by the skill on show. They were very respectful and careful to not take each other off. I think it's one of F1's greatest moments."
Tina and Jak
"The F1 Academy was running in Miami, and Tina was very unfortunate to have two retirements. In this, there are lessons to be learnt about how to stay out of trouble and keep away from cars that seem to attract it. It's unlucky for Tina, as she really needs to accumulate laps at this stage of the season.
"As for Jak, he was in Miami as a team ambassador, and so got a taste of F1 at its most intense. It was his birthday also – and when we had a chat, it was clear he was revelling in it. He's been busy, doing a Formula E test in Berlin – but now his focus switches firmly to F2 this weekend."
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